Protecting device for jail-fronts.



F. ADAM.

PROTECTING DEVICE FOR. JAIL FRONTS.

APILIOATION FILED SBPT.30,'1910.

Patented June 24, 1913.

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PROTECTING nnvron FOR JAIL-FRON'IS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24:, 1913.

Application filed September 30, 1910. Serial No. 584,737.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F OLGER ADAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Protecting Device for Jail-Fronts, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to improvements in jail door locking mechanisms and has for its principal object the protection of the locking and operating mechanisms from tampering by unauthorized'persons, at the same time permitting easy access to the working parts for purposes of adjustment and inspection.

This improvement is particularly although not exclusively adapted for use in connection with a false front or protecting panel, fitted to cover the lock or looks and operating mechanism of a door or doors and held in position by a locking bolt or bolts which persons outside of the cells, authorized by the prison authorities and equipped with proper tools are enabled to operate for the purpose of removing a panel or panels.

The particular advantages of my invention lie in the simplicity of construction, the positive locking of the protecting panel by the locking bolts, and the ease of operating the lock bolts by authorized persons.

I have illustrated one form of my device in the accompanying drawing which forms part of the specification and in which Figure 1 is a typical section through a cell wall and utility corridor, showing portions of two tiers of cells; Fig. 2 is a sec,- tion on the line AA, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line B-B, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of my panel locking device.

In the above drawings 2 is a partition wall between cells, composed of stone or any suitable material.

In Fig. 1 are shown, in dotted lines, the back wall 3, the front wall 4 and the ceiling 5 of the cells, all of which may be built in any well known manner.

In Fig. 2 is shown a locking device 6 which is operated in connection with a door 7 At the front of the cell, a metal facing plate 8 protects the material of the cell structure and supports the locking and op erating mechanism together with am strips 9. The locking and operating mechanisms are inclosed in a metal box 10 recessed in the wall of the cell and are protected in front by the metal panel plate 11 which extends from the floor to the ceiling. This plate lies in front of the facing plate and is spaced from it by an angle 12 or in any o suitable manner allowing room for the operation of the locking bolts 13. The looking bolts 13 extend from the front of the cell to the utility corridor 14 at the rear through the partition wall 2. A sleeve 15 carrying the locking bolts 13 loosely, extends through the wall, being fastened to the facing plate 8 at the front of the cell by a flange 16 threaded upon the sleeve and riveted to the rear of the face plate 8 by rivets 17, and extends slightly beyond the back face 18 of the wall into the utility corridor 14. The locking bolts 13 are formed with a square end 19 which extends beyond the sleeve 15 into the utility corridor. This end of the bolt is threaded for a portion of its way permitting the adjustment of a locking nut 20 against the end 21 of the sleeve which extends into the utility corridor. The forward extremity of each of the bolts 13 extends into the space 22 between the facing plate 8 and the panel plate 11 and carries near its end a pair of gudgeons or opposite cross heads 23 formed in my present structure by a pin inserted in a hole in the bolt. The gudgeons 23 when lying horizontally as shown in Fig. 3, are fitted to lie between two horizontal angle lugs 25 and 26 which are riveted to the panel plate 11, by rivets 27. In these lugs are slots 28 and 29 so placed that the gudgeons 23 may be rotated with the bolt 13 into engagement with the slots, with the gudgeons in a vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. It will be noted that the slot 28 in lug 25 is not directly above slot 29 in the lug 26, but is so placed that the opposite gudgeons 23 on the lock bolts 13 may stand in a vertical position engaging each slot at one end, making further rotation of the bolt in this direction impossible. The bolt is, however, free to rotate in the opposite direction to a hori zontal position in which the gudgeons 23 are out of engagement with the slots 28 and 29. When the bolts 13 have been rotated into their locking position, engaging the slots in the lugs 25 and 26, the nut 20 is screwed up, the thread running preferably in the direction of rotation of the bolt in looking the panel. Tightening the nut 20 against the sleeve end 21 forces the plate 11 against its bearings and clamps the entire locking device. A sufficient number of bolts 13 are placed in connection with each panel plate 11 to hold the plate firmly in position against any attempts to remove it.

In operation, the bolts 13 having been placed in the wall 2, the gudgeons 23 are turned to a horizontal position and the panel plate 11 is placed in position over the locks 12 and operating mechanism, and a mechanic in the utility corridor let applies a wrench to the square head 19 of each looking bolt 13 and rotates it in the locking direction a quarter turn. This brings the gudgeons 23 into engagement with the lugs 25 and 26 on the plate 11 and holds the plate firmly in position. The lock nut 20 is turned up tightly completing the operation. When it is desirable to examine the locks for any reason, an authorized person in the utility corridor may apply a wrench to the lock nut 20, loosening it and thus freeing the bolt 13. The bolt 13 is then turned in the unlocking direction through a quarter turn, placing the gudgeons 23 in a horizontal position and freeing the panel plate. When all the bolts 13 have been so unlocked, the plate 11 may be removed, to be replaced at pleasure. The operation of the bolts 13 in the upper tier of cells is convenient from the usual walkway 30 in the utility corridor. It is evident that my devicecan be successfully operated only from the utility corridor of the prison, to which only persons in au thority need be admitted, and that the safety of the locks and operating mechanism from tampering, depends entirely on the strength of the construction of the panel plate and mechanism box which may be easily made of any desirable strength.

The operation of the device is very simple to one familiar withit but would be very puzzling to any one else, as the rotation of the bolt, more or less than the right amount, does not unlock the plate, and the correct positioning of all the bolts by one not familiar with the device would be almost impossible. This is also true of tampering with the bolt through the sleeve in the wall.

The invention further provides an efiective means for securing the panel tightly in position and not operable by a person who is not outside of a cell or the cells and equipped with proper tools. It will be noticed that the face plate 8 forms the true outer surface of the'front of the cell, that the removable protecting panel or front plate 11 forms the outer front wall of the cell, that the bolt 13 engaging the front plate and locking it closed projects from the face plate 8 and that the sleeve 15 assisting in protecting the bolt to prevent the removal of the front plate without the use of tools. These elements may obviously be changed in construction within the spirit of my invention so long as the locking bolt is protected from removal except by authorized persons equipped with proper tools.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the in vention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. In combination with a cell havinga door lock mechanism box recessed in one of its walls, said box having a plate forming the true outer surface of the front of said cell, a removable protecting front plate placed over said box and forming an outer front wall of said cell, and means passing through said outer surface to engage said front plate to lock it closed, said means being inaccessible from the front of said front plate.

2. In combination with a, jail cell structure having a front facing a main corridor and a back facing a utility corridor, of locking devices on the front of said structure, a protecting front covering said devices, and means accessible from said utility corridor for locking and unlocking said front.

3. In a jail cell structure, the combination of a cell front having a removable protecting panel, and means extending back from said panel, to the rear of said structure and inaccessible from in front of said structure for locking said panel on said front. I

4. I11 combination with a jail cell structure including a partition wall and a front and back portion, of locking devices disposed on the front portion, a protecting front covering said locking devices, and means extending through said partition and accessible from the back portion of the cell for locking and unlocking said protecting front.

5. In combination with a cell having front and side walls and a door locking mechanism box recessed in said front wall, said box being open in front of said cell and having an inner plate forming the true outer surface of said cell front, a removable cover plate over said box and forming an outer front wall of said cell, a shaft passing through said inner plate and having means engaging the inner surface of said cover plate, and a casing through one of the walls of said cell surrounding said shaft.

(3. The combination with a jail cell structure having a partition wall and a front and back portion, of locking devices on the front portion, a protecting front covering said devices and provided on its inner face with anchoring angle lugs having openings therein, a sleeve extending through said portion, a rod extending through said sleeve to the back of said cell and having pins for engagement with the openings in said lugs, and means associated with said rod and sleeve for securing the former in a locking position.

7. In combination with a cell having a door lock mechanism box recessed in one of its walls, said box having a plate forming the true outer surface of the front of said cell, a removable protecting front plate placed over said box and forming an outer front wall of said cell, means projecting from said true outer surface for engaging said front plate and looking it closed and means for protecting said projecting means to prevent the removal of said front plate except by the use of proper tools.

8. In combination with a cell having a door lock mechanism box recessed in one of its walls, said box having a plate forming the true outer surface of said cell, a removable protecting front plate seated upon said box and forming an outer front wall of said cell, and a bolt removably secured to said front plate and mounted upon said true outer surface and adapted to draw said front plate down and secure it seated over said mechanism box.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

A. G. SoHN,

CARRIE HorrER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of lPatents, Washington, D. C. 

